What they said: Spurs, Thunder locker-room quotes

The Spurs Media Services representatives were busy and ready for a compilation of comments from both locker rooms after Sunday’s game.

Here’s a collection of what they compiled:

Spurs Forward Kawhi Leonard:

(When asked what adjustments were made in the fourth quarter…)

“I guess everybody just wanted to win on the court. The five (Spurs) that were out there were competing and playing hard basketball. We also got the shots that we wanted on the offensive end.”

(When asked what the reason for the slow start was to tonight’s game …)

“They (Thunder) played a great defensive game. We were out there trying to find our shots. We needed to get ready to play basketball since we’d been off for about a week. They’re aggressive. They can shoot and get to the hole. They were trying to get fouls and they did a good job at that.”

(When asked about his defensive game against Kevin Durant tonight…)

“I think I did an all right job. I just tried to make it tough for him out there. He still scored a lot of points. But that’s all you can do against a scorer like him. That’s why he led the league in scoring for the past three years.”

(When asked about the defense of Stephen Jackson on Kevin Durant…)

“I guess he (Stephen Jackson) was trying to limit his touches. He just wanted to get stops on him (Kevin Durant).”

Spurs forward Tim Duncan:

(On their experience paying off in the fourth quarter …)

“It was perseverance more than anything. They got a lead on us. They were playing well in that third quarter and we stuck with it. We got some great stops down the stretch. Gino (Manu Ginobili) also took some big charges for us. Stephen (Jackson) was great playing defense out there and changed the game for us. Neither Tony (Parker) or I played real well and we were still able to get the win so we are excited about that.”

(On Manu Ginobili taking over in the fourth quarter…)

“Manu was great. It was unbelievable. We started to count on him for a long stretch there and he really did it for us. He had not played a game against these guys all year and it is great to see him out there and be effective.”

(On the bench scoring 52 points…)

“It was a good team effort. We had a lot of guys not play up to par. We did not shoot the ball as well but we stuck with it. Guys came off the bench, made plays for us and this could be big in the series.”

(On Popovich telling his team to get “Nasty”…)

“Just to continue to be physical with it. They were getting to the rim a little bit too much. We had some lapses in our game plan. Just understanding we are going to have to be physical. We are going to have to get in their way and not make anything easy.”

(On the small lineup in the fourth quarter…)

“It was a counter to their small lineup. They went with it first. That’s what they feel most comfortable with coming down the stretch. We tried to go big for a while and then we switched it out. Stephen (Jackson) came in and did an excellent job on Durant down the stretch.”

Spurs guard Manu Ginobili:

(On his breakout playoff performance…)

“It just happened. I don’t know how exactly because I haven’t scored like this all season long, but it happened and I am very happy about it.”

(On developing an early rhythm after making his first few shots…)

“I just tried to play and attack the rim when I had the opportunity. It just happened that I had the opportunity to score more. I made a few three’s and that helped open up the penetration.”

(On the Spurs experience/veteran play in the fourth quarter …)

“You never know with experience. We just played very good defense down the stretch. We did not turn the ball over as much as the first half. When you turn the ball over 14 times in one half and still are only one down, you are in a good position if you improve in that sense and we did. We finished with 16 and that was huge for us.”

(On the bench scoring 52 points…)

“It is what we have done all season. I don’t know what our average was in the regular season but that’s the way we played. We have got scorers coming from the bench and that’s what we usually do. I don’t think it is a huge surprise that we scored 50 points. We have done it before.”

Thunder guard James Harden:

(On how the Spurs took control of the game in the fourth quarter…)

“We stopped moving the ball. I think in that third quarter we did a great job of moving the ball and getting their defense to move a little bit by hitting wide-open shots and wide-open layups. In the fourth quarter we kind of slowed that down and they got a couple of easy transition buckets.”

(On guarding Manu Ginobili…)

“He’s just left-handed and crafty. He can get to the rim. He made plays in the fourth quarter. We’ve got to do a better job of containing him and make him make passes. Like I’ve said, he had a very good fourth quarter. We’ve just got to control that and come back in Game 2 and be ready.”

(On what defensive adjustments the Spurs made against him…)

“Nothing, I just couldn’t make a layup. Couldn’t make a layup, couldn’t make a shot, but it happens. I’ve got to get back to work tomorrow in practice and be ready for Game 2.”

(On how not getting to the free throw line early in the game affected him…)

“Well, it affected me. Getting to the free throw line and getting easy points definitely helps me. I just got to be ready. I’ve got to be aggressive and get to the basket to be able to finish in Game 2.”

(On what can be taken out of this game going forward in the series…)

“I think we played hard all four quarters until that last spurt where we gave up points and didn’t move the ball. It’s just about playing hard. I think we did that and we made more mistakes that we usually don’t make. We’ve just got to bounce back and be ready.”

Thunder guard Derek Fisher:

(On shooting so well in San Antonio and if he thinks he will get the same minutes Tuesday night…)

“I love to play, so whatever it takes for us to win I’m going to do and tonight it was not enough. I enjoy playing anywhere and everywhere. This is a great job and I love what I do and in terms of my minutes, that is a coach’s decision.”

(On the breakdown in the fourth quarter…)

“We will get a chance to go back and look at it on tape, but my first thought is that we did not move the ball as well offensively. We got stagnant and the ball stopped moving. We had some breakdowns on the defensive end and they scored points from the free throw line and from the paint. Those are things we cannot allow a really good basketball team to do, so we have to make some adjustments and improvements over the next few days.”

(On the mindset going into Game 2…)

“It is a long series and we just have to continue to play and not get too high or low in one particular game in a series. This is a good team we are playing and they showed some mental toughness tonight being able to battle back, so now it is our turn. We have an opportunity to go back and take a look at some things and come back better hopefully on Tuesday night.”

(Thoughts on if he feels they let this game slip away…)

“How it happened is irrelevant. Whether we lose by 20 or lose by one, we lost the game and we will hopefully come back and figure out a way to get Tuesday night’s game.”

Thunder forward Nick Collison:

(On the breakdown in the fourth quarter…)

“We will have to see the tape, but right now I feel we had a lot of breakdowns defensively and offensively, we got in a funk where we were not moving the ball and getting any good shots. Defensively, I think San Antonio stepped up a little bit, but the first three quarters we were moving the ball and breaking them down but we quit doing that. We are going to watch the tape and we are going to have to play better to win.”

(On the team playing hard…)

“Yeah, I thought our effort was good. We just had too many breakdowns and our effort has to be there for the Western Conference Finals. It is expected and we will play hard and San Antonio will play hard, but you also have to be able to play well and play well for long stretches like we did for three quarters. The game is four quarters long, so it was not good enough tonight.”

(On what he would like to see done better…)

“We need to watch the tape and find out what really happened out there tonight. We have to have the mindset like we did when we were up and in the other series before. We have to go in there with the mindset that we have the opportunity to win Game 2 and that is what we need to have on our mind.”